Aside from examples from the Vietnam War, can anyone here share how various countries use tanks and other fire support vehicles in counter insurgency operations?
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One of the largest, if not the largest, post WWII use of light tanks and fire support vehicles in the Philippines occurred during the Kauswagan-to-Camp Abubakar offensive against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (yes . . . MILF) back in 2000.
During that period, the MILF leadership fell into the trap that their forefathers got themselves into -- 30 years earlier -- when they fell for their own propaganda about the strength of their forces; organized themselves along conventional lines; and even started building crude fortifications. The last time they tried doing this was in the 70s. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at the time soundly decimated their forces.
The AFP of the 21st century, was more than willing to remind them of their past folly. The Philippine officer corps, which oddly enough is still largely schooled in conventional warfare tactics despite the absence of conventional conflict since the Korean War, salivated at the opportunity to fight the way they were trained.
One by one, the various hard points, a large portion of which were built near the Narciso Ramos Highway, fell one by one to combined arms units that brought the Philippine Marine V-300s and Philippine Army Scorpions Light/Reece tanks into combat en-masse for the first time.
In the end, the MILF -- which had no armored vehicles, but had RPGs -- were no contest. The main base, Camp Abubakar, fell in July, and we had our own version of the Iwo Jima flag raising.
=== ~~~ ===
Is anyone here aware of similar events in other country's COIN wars?
=== ~~~ ===
One of the largest, if not the largest, post WWII use of light tanks and fire support vehicles in the Philippines occurred during the Kauswagan-to-Camp Abubakar offensive against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (yes . . . MILF) back in 2000.
During that period, the MILF leadership fell into the trap that their forefathers got themselves into -- 30 years earlier -- when they fell for their own propaganda about the strength of their forces; organized themselves along conventional lines; and even started building crude fortifications. The last time they tried doing this was in the 70s. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at the time soundly decimated their forces.
The AFP of the 21st century, was more than willing to remind them of their past folly. The Philippine officer corps, which oddly enough is still largely schooled in conventional warfare tactics despite the absence of conventional conflict since the Korean War, salivated at the opportunity to fight the way they were trained.
One by one, the various hard points, a large portion of which were built near the Narciso Ramos Highway, fell one by one to combined arms units that brought the Philippine Marine V-300s and Philippine Army Scorpions Light/Reece tanks into combat en-masse for the first time.
In the end, the MILF -- which had no armored vehicles, but had RPGs -- were no contest. The main base, Camp Abubakar, fell in July, and we had our own version of the Iwo Jima flag raising.
=== ~~~ ===
Is anyone here aware of similar events in other country's COIN wars?
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